Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time.

Nonstops


Delta	HOU	ATL	2h 05m	85%	1.9%	1,397	Flying now
Southwest	HOU	ATL	1h 55m	76%	0.6%	1,485	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Atlanta on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Atlanta is 1 h ahead of Houston). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	HOU 07:30 → MCI 09:25WN 1037	3h 10m Kansas City	MCI 12:35 → ATL 15:40WN 527	7h 10m	98%	75%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:00 → DAL 08:10WN 4	1h 20m Dallas	DAL 09:30 → ATL 12:35WN 1766	4h 35m	96%	75%
American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:30AA 3395 · flown by Envoy	2h 04m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 09:34 → ATL 12:46AA 1358	5h 43m	95%	67%
Southwest Details →	HOU 12:00 → PHX 12:40WN 2063	1h 35m Phoenix	PHX 14:15 → ATL 20:55WN 3232	7h 55m	85%	59%
American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:29AA 5492 · flown by PSA	3h 29m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 10:58 → ATL 14:10AA 1386	7h 07m	89%	57%
Southwest Details →	HOU 17:40 → BNA 19:35WN 1957	2h 07m Nashville	BNA 21:42 → ATL 10:45WN 447	5h 12m	88%	57%
Southwest Details →	HOU 09:50 → IND 13:05WN 1988	3h 00m Indianapolis	IND 16:05 → ATL 17:40WN 2107	6h 50m	100%	54%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:10 → BNA 09:10WN 1954	3h 40m Nashville	BNA 12:50 → ATL 15:00WN 893	6h 50m	100%	46%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	HOU 16:14 → DFW 17:38AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest	1h 48m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 19:26 → ATL 22:36AA 3212	5h 21m	73%	38%
American Details →	HOU 18:49 → DFW 20:15AA 6385 · flown by SkyWest	55m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 21:10 → ATL 00:19 +1AA 2749	4h 30m	52%	25%
Southwest Details →	HOU 13:58 → DCA 18:02WN 1968	53m Washington	DCA 18:55 → ATL 20:50WN 4968	5h 52m	61%	20%

Same layover, different day-part

How often the first flight arrives too late to connect (45 min minimum), for one-ticket layovers of 45–80 minutes.

Morning

DAL · 1h 20m · leaves 07:00 4%

Afternoon and evening

STL · 1h 05m · leaves 13:20 14%

DCA · 53m · leaves 13:58 39%

DFW · 55m · leaves 18:49 48%

Delays build through the day, so an afternoon first leg eats the layover. A short connection is fine early in the morning and a gamble later on.

Mixing airlines

One ticketMiss it and the airline rebooks you; bags go through. 45 min is enough.

Separate ticketsMiss it and you buy a new ticket. Re-check bags, clear security again: we require 90 min.


Southwest WN 2049 HOU 05:35 → MSY Delta DL 1424 MSY 10:35 → ATL Connection details →	3h 50m	6h 31m	100%	90%
Southwest WN 2039 HOU 06:25 → MDW Delta DL 1063 MDW 11:05 → ATL Connection details →	2h 15m	6h 36m	100%	88%
Southwest WN 1943 HOU 07:35 → ABQ Delta DL 1004 ABQ 11:25 → ATL Connection details →	2h 45m	8h 02m	97%	86%

Rank all connections, any airlines →

Regional partners count as the airline that sells them: SkyWest flying Delta Connection is one Delta ticket.

How these are worked out. Makes the connection: share of the last year’s flights where the first flight arrived with at least 45 minutes to spare (90 on separate tickets). Arrives on time: first flight not cancelled × connection made × second flight not cancelled and arriving within 15 minutes. Not yet counted: the second flight also leaving late (which helps), gate-to-gate distance at the hub, and rebooking after a missed connection.

About this data: US DOT on-time records, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, all US airlines; regional flights count under the airline that sells them. Schedules (which flights and connections exist, and their times) are as of Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026; seasonal flights outside that window aren’t ranked. Rebuilt monthly. JSON